


Those Coffee Scented Days

by MachineQueen



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/F, Femslash February
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 18:46:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3421583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineQueen/pseuds/MachineQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You know the Coffee Shop AU drill by now. Pao Lin develops a crush on the beautiful woman who serves her at the local coffee shop. Her name badge reads "KARINA" and she works Monday and Thursday afternoons. An AU where NEXT powers don't exist. Pao Lin is aged up to eighteen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Those Coffee Scented Days

**Author's Note:**

> I felt the need to write something for Femslash February. Inspired by a discussion with my special someone (although... I was supposed to be writing about Tiger and Barnaby...oops...)
> 
> I did feel a bit weird taking NEXT powers out when they're the most fun thing about the T&B universe but...they really didn't fit the story. 
> 
> I have loved the idea of this pairing since reading on TV Tropes that Agnes says this to Dragon Kid in one of the T&B radio plays: "You were looking at Blue Rose so intently. Even if she isn't a boy, you can still fall for her, you know."
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!

Coffee corporation employment standards were fiendishly clever in the way they selected their employees, thought Pao Lin. The coffee machines worked exclusively under the hands of the beautiful, presumably so customers would buy more coffee just for the privilege of staring a little longer. 

Pao Lin was shamed to admit to herself that the tactic had worked like a charm on her. 

Although Pao Lin rarely frequented coffee shops, she had stopped at this one after one of her regular jogging circuits of the city. It had been a warm day and Pao Lin had no more water. Her thirst was preventing her from going much further, so she resigned herself to the fate of buying overpriced bottled water or juice. She could almost hear her parents chastising her for making such a needlessly expensive decision but as she gasped for breath she managed to shut them out.

The queue was long. As she waited, she gently stretched in the room she had available. She breathed in the coffee scented breeze and relished the air conditioning. She rummaged around in her shorts pocket for her debit card and then peered at the menu board. She squinted hard. She didn't understand any of it. Cappuccino, Mocha, Latte...? The one thing she did understand jumped out at her: Iced Lemonade. 

The man in front of her had ordered two incredible looking drink/ice cream hybrids. Pao Lin was awed by the perfect swirl of cream on top, dusted with flakes of chocolate. 

She was still staring at the drink when the barrister called out a terse “Next!”

Pao Lin blinked and turned to look at the barrister. A woman, around the same age as her. She had blonde hair tied into a faux messy bun with several strands left artfully loose. She was wearing an apron, but on her it looked like the latest designer wear. She was clearly the kind of person that made clothes look good and not the other way round.

“Can I take your order please?” she asked. Her voice was light and sweet but Pao Lin could detect impatience beneath it.

“I want one of those,” Pao Lin blurted out, pointing at the previous customer's drink/ice cream.

“Oh. Yeah, me too,” said the barrister. “Good choice. One large cookies and cream milkshake coming up.” 

As Pao Lin awkwardly fumbled with the chip-and-PIN machine she read the barrister's name tag: KARINA. 

And so it began.

Karina could be found serving coffee on Monday and Thursday afternoons. 'Crush' seemed the wrong word for how Pao Lin felt. Crush suggested something brutal and unwanted. 'Squeeze' felt more appropriate- because whenever Pao Lin looked at Karina she would feel something akin to an invisible fist gently squeezing her heart. 

Pao Lin began to experiment with a wide variety of fancy drinks that left dents all over her budget for living but she had stopped caring. After a while, she took to buying drinks with a glass mug because if she sat in just the right place and tilted the glass just the right way she could catch glimpses of Karina's reflection as she bustled around greeting customers and making drinks. It was looking without looking. Somewhere inside, Pao Lin knew this act of voyeurism was wrong. She told herself that as long as no-one found out, she wasn't doing any harm. After all, Karina's attention was taken up by the endless line of customers. 

Until one day, it wasn't.

When Pao Lin was halfway round her running circuit, the heavens opened and cold rain poured down in sheets. The sidewalk turned into one long black puddle. In one way, it was to Pao Lin's benefit- she was sure that she knocked a couple of seconds off her time, thanks to the rain. 

She clattered into the coffee shop, drenched from head to toe. The usual buzz of chatter was missing and she couldn't hear the coffee machines either. The only thing she could hear was the splish of the water dripping from her short hair. She shivered as a droplet ran down the back of her neck. 

As she headed over to the counter to order, sneakers squelching, she noticed Karina was absent. Her heart sank. She placed her order with the other, far less pretty barrister. While waiting, she tried to look on the bright side. Although she was usually sweaty after her work out, this time she was full on drenched which was hardly an attractive look. This might have worked out for the best.

Her drink was handed over to her. Pao Lin turned to head to her usual table. As she turned, she jumped, nearly dropping her drink. Karina was sitting there, watching her.

“I thought you could use a towel,” she said, holding one up.

“Thank you,” said Pao Lin. She walked over carefully, hoping that the laces of her sneakers hadn't come undone. The last thing she needed was to trip and fall flat on her face. 

“It's dead in here today,” said Karina, “so I'm taking a little break. I thought we could have a chat.”

“OK,” Pao Lin didn't know what to say or where to look. She didn't want to stare but similarly not making eye contact was rude. She sat down opposite Karina. Maybe she should offer to buy Karina something...? She put her drink down and accepted the towel, rubbing off her hair with it. Karina watched her curiously.

“You always look at your drink funny,” Karina said. “So I kept expecting you would make a complaint. But you never have. So, what's up with that? Are you just too polite to complain?”

“I don't have any complaints,” Pao Lin said, dumb founded. She could feel her face turning red. “There's never anything wrong with the drinks you make.”

“Are you sure?” asked Karina.

“Positive.”

“OK. I'll stop worrying then. It's just, I really need this job.”

Silence. Pao Lin's mind was rushing, grabbing words frantically and hurriedly putting them together into imperfect sentences. 

“I'm surprised you noticed something like that. It's usually so busy in here,” managed Pao Lin. She'd said something that made sense! Something boring but something that made sense!

“You're wearing yellow. You stand out,” says Karina. “Not many girls can pull off that shade. Kudos.”

“I bet you could!” Pao Lin said before her mind could stop her. The words came out with the wrong parts emphasised. “I bet you _could_ ” instead of “I bet _you_ could.” Karina looked amused.

“So the name on your debit card is Pao Lin. Am I pronouncing that right?”

“Yes. That's correct.”

“Are you an athlete or something?”

“No. I'm training to be a firefighter.”

This was something Pao Lin liked saying, largely because the other party always looked surprised when she told them. Almost everyone seemed to doubt that anyone of Pao Lin's tiny stature could be any good at such a job- but Pao Lin trained hard and was just as physically fit and strong as some of the burly men training alongside her. Karina, however, had the grace to hide her shock, if she had any.

“That's really cool,” said Karina. “Sounds tough, though.”

“Saving people's lives is what I've always wanted to do,” said Pao Lin. “So when it's tough I just think of the people I could save and that's what keeps me going.”

Before the conversation could continue, the door to the coffee shop opened and a gaggle of soaked teenagers began to form a laughing line. Pao Lin tried and failed to resist inwardly cursing them.

“Karina!” called the other, less pretty barrister. 

“I have to go back to work,” said Karina. “But listen, if you're free you should come by the café Saturday. Here's a flyer.”

“OK. Sure,” said Pao Lin, taken aback.

“Take care, Pao Lin. Nice to meet you properly!”

Pao Lin looked down at the obnoxiously pink flyer. It was decorated with music notes.

“LIVE ENTERTAINMENT!” said the headline and it was followed by a list of names. As Pao Lin scanned it, she spotted one that was familiar. “KARINA LYLE.”

“A singer?” she said out loud. She turned to watch Karina serve the drinks. Karina smiled at her. 

Pao Lin's first thought was that she would definitely be here Saturday. Her second thought was that she would probably have to wear something fancy. Her third thought was that it didn't matter, as long as she got to see that smile again...


End file.
